An illuminating affair

Light Up the Redd will go down as a highlight in our journey toward a healthy and equitable food future.

On October 5, we welcomed a sold-out crowd of friends, family, and supporters to the Redd on Salmon Street for our annual event. The evening’s lineup sparkled with inspiring and challenging speakers, a delicious array of producer-chef collaborations, and surprise pop-up performances — but it was all of you who truly made it shine.

The program kicked off with a series of speakers, articulating the foundational vision for the evening: re-imagining and rebuilding our food system in a way that creates good jobs, provides equitable food access, and regenerates the environment. Naomi Starkman of Civil Eats, Kat Taylor from Beneficial State Bank, and our own Amanda Oborne and Jeremy Barnicle all warmed up the mic for our impactful keynote speaker, Ricardo Salvador. As the senior scientist and director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Salvador works with citizens, scientists, economists, and politicians to transition our current food system into one that grows healthy foods while employing sustainable and socially equitable practices.

“With the dysfunction in our national systems, the change we seek — sustainable jobs, equity for all people, a planet that continues to support life — that change is going to have to come from us, from local and regional action.” —Jeremy Barnicle, Ecotrust

“Our food system is a giant tapestry, and if you pull on any single thread, you are going to unravel a whole host of issues you never knew were connected. Food has a way of highlighting our interdependence culturally, politically, economically, environmentally, like nothing else.” —Amanda Oborne, Ecotrust

“How food in the United States is grown, marketed, consumed, and regulated has emerged as one of the most important social and public policy issues of our day.” —Naomi Starkman, Civil Eats

“Our development paradigm should always be based on equity. We must never separate environmental well-being from social justice.” —Kat Taylor, Beneficial State Bank

“We know enough to produce our food without exploiting nature, and we definitely know enough to produce our food without exploiting people. The question is will we?” —Ricardo Salvador, Union of Concerned Scientists

After rousing food for thought from the stage, guests made their way into the Redd to find an array of culinary collaborations that did not disappoint. Chefs and food businesses partnered with regional food producers — the farmers, ranchers, and fishermen of home — to provide flavors made richer by their commitment to stewardship, equity, and innovative business models that underscored every bite.

Throughout the evening, more spontaneous delights awaited Light Up the Redd’s wandering feasters — such as pop-up performances by OBT2 and AWOL Dance Collective, interactive art exhibits, and music that kept spirits high until last call.

Nearly half of our guests joined Ecotrust with a one-time or sustaining gift — 342 generous friends, to be exact. Amazing! In total, we raised $32,000 in gifts and raffle ticket purchases, and received commitments for an additional $2,500 per month in sustaining donations. That means we were also able to unlock our matching gift of $10,000, and amplify the impact of your dollars. That’s an incredible boost for Ecotrust’s work, and we are grateful to count so many friends, new and old, as partners in this work. Thank you.

We’re also thrilled to announce the winners of our prize packages. Stephanie Schlecht was our big Passport Raffle winner, and will be enjoying a one-of-a-kind YETI gear package and trip to the beautiful Wallowas of eastern Oregon. And the three lucky households winning our sustaining donor incentive packages are Heather DeGrella, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Matt Brodsky, and Peter Sharer and Kay O’Neill. Congratulations, all!

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to everyone who attended. We are humbled by all we can accomplish with you in our corner, and we are excited to take our next steps forward together.